Portable floating breakwater or bulkhead



M. A. WHITE. PORTABLE FLOATING BREAKWATER, 0R BULKHEAD.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 24, 1920- Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

lllllll.

INVE/l/TUR M4. WH/TE.

WITNESSES A TTOR/VEYS area rates PORTABLE FLOATING- BBEAKtVA'iER OR-B'ULKHEAID.

memes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nor/.15, 1921.

Application filed September 24-, 1920. Serial No. 412,556.

To all to 710m it may concern:

Be it known that I, MANLEY A. lVi-irrn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Portable Floating Breakwater or Bulkhead, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present'invention relates to new and useful improvements in marine apparatus or appliances, and it aims toprovide a floating bulkhead or breakwater.

It is the primary object of the present in vention to provide a device adapted to be anchored in a seaway in such a manner that as the seas wash thereover they will be broken up with the result that in the lee of the device the sea will be quiet and calm.

It is another object of the invention to so construct such a device as to render the same portable and capable of movement from place to place.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device with power plant by means of which it is moved under its own power from place to place.

With the above and other objects in view, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view partly broken away of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view partly broken away of the device;

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation thereof;

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail sectional views of a portion of the device.

Referring more'particularly to the drawings, the reference character 1 designates a platform, and said platform is supported upon a plurality of pontoons or floats 11. Located at the rear edge of the platform at each end, is a house or cabin 12, and said houses or cabins 12 form the engine room of the device. Mounted in each of the engine rooms 12, is a motor 13, and leading from each of the motors 13, is a propeller 14.

The device is provided at each end with a rudder 15, and each of said rudders is operated by a tiller 16, it being understood that one rudder is mounted directly under each engine room 12, and the tiller of each rudder will be positioned within its respective engine room.

Mounted upon the platform 10 and angulength than the conveyers 18, and have their forward ends projecting beyond the forrear ends of all of the conveyers being substantially even. These conveyors 17 and 18 are arranged in staggered relation to each other, the longer conveyers 17 being elevated with respect to the shorter conveyers 18, and these conveyers 17 and 18 are positioned with respect to each other in such a manner that a substantially solid inclined wall is provided.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the preferred form of the conveyors consists of pipe member, one portion of which is cut away to provide an open trough 20, the remaining portion being closed as indicated by the ref erence character 21. i

In Fig. 4 is shown a modified form of conveyer in which the entire conveyor is in the form of an open trough 25, while in Fig. 5 the conveyor is shown as a pipe 26 having a series of perforations 27.

T he reference char cter 30 designates a winch or drum, and said winch or drum 30 is of a spring type and is positioned substantially centrally of the ends of the platform 10 at its forward edge. Passing around the drum is a cable 31, and said cable forms the means by which the device is anchored. Owing to the winch or drum 30 being of the spring type, it will be seen that undue strain will cause an'unwinding of said winch or drum to prevent a dragging of the anchor, the spring winch or drum serving to relieve undue strain upon said anchor and its cable 31.

Leading from the winch or drum 30 to each of the engine rooms 12, is a shaft 40, and these shafts 40 are adapted to actuate suitable indicators 41 within the engine houses, whereby the strain upon the winch or orum 30 may be ascertained by the engineer in order that the motors 13 may be started to supply sufficient amount of power to relieve the strain upon the anchoring cable 31.

The device operates in the following man ner: The platform 10 is anchored in the seaway and as the seas break thereover, the water flows into the open portion of the conveyers 17 and 18 and is conveyed back to the trough of the sea. Owing to the fact that ward ends of the shorter conveyors 18, the

certain of the conveyers are thicker than the others and that they project considerably beyond the forward edge of the platform 10, it is apparent that the forward end of at least half of the conveyers will at all times be in a trough of the sea, thus providing for. the proper draining of the conveyers 17 and 18.

It is to be understood that this device may be built of any desired size without departing from the spirit of the invention, and if, desired, it may be constructed in such a manner as to afford protection for either one or a plurality of ships anchored on the lee thereof. I

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a device which if anchored in a seaway will act to break up heavily rolling seas and have a tendency to calm the surface thereof.

I claim:

1.. A device for calming seas comprising a float, and means carried by the float for receiving the seas and conveying them to the trough of the sea in advance of said float.

2. A device for calming seas comprising a float, and means carried by the float for receiving the seas and conveying them to the trough of the sea in advance of said float, said means comprising a plurality of conveyers angularly disposed with respect to the float.

3. A device for calming seas comprising a float, and means carried by the float for receiving the seas and conveying them to the trough of the sea in advance of said float, said means comprising a plurality of conveyers angularly disposed with respect to the float and having their forward end projected beyond the forward edge of said float.

at. A device for calming seas comprising a suitable support, and means carried by the support for receiving the seas and conveying them to a trough of the sea in advance of said support, said means comprising a plurality of tubular conveyors overlying the support, said conveyers having a. portion thereof cut out to receive the seas.

5. A device for calming seas comprising a suitable support adapted to be anchored in a seaway, a plurality of angularly disposed tubular conveyers carried by said support, one end of said conveyers being cut away to provide sea-receiving troughs.

6. A device for calming seas comprising a suitable support, and means for receiving the seas and conveying them forwardly of said support, said receivingand-conveying means consisting of a plurality of tubular members having a portion thereof cut away to provide sea-receiving means.

MANLEY ANSON WHITE. 

